VDH on Obama

The title of this post could cover any number of articles he has written recently, but I found this one to particularly good. VDH, for the record, is a registered Democrat. This of course means nothing in today's age of party ambiguity, but worth a mention for flavor and spice.

Cincinnati Cat Connection

So, in one of many recent attempts to find a good home for my cats I sent the following email to Cincinnati Cat Connection: Good morning, I have 2 wonderful cats, which I have had since they were 8 weeks old (from the same litter) and are now nearing 5 years of age. I love them dearly, however, my fiance is highly allergic and I need to find a new home for both of them. Is there a way I could have them adopted through your organization? If so, how could I go about starting this process, and what information would you need from me? I know that you're probably overburdened by the sheer amount of pets that need to be adopted, but I'd much prefer this route to many others, for the love and health of my kitties. Thank you for any and all information and help you can provide. -Chuck Here is their response: I am sorry - Cat Connection rarely accepts housecats - we are not a shelter, just a few foster homes. The most we could offer is to post your cats on PetFinder. In order to do this we would need their medical histories (they must be altered, up to date on basic vaccines and tested), and information about their personalities and up to three photos of each cat It is VERY difficult to adopt out older cats - most public shelters around here are likely to euthanize them immediately. I would recommend Zyrtec NAME REMOVED, CCC Seems to me that CCC is a very rude organization. The insult that I would trivially give up my two wonderful pets without exhausting every other option first speaks volumes to how they handle their business. Adding an over the counter allergy medicine "recommendation" went above and beyond. I wouldn't recommend them.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum

Thomas Sowell hacks into my brain and writes an article with what he finds. The Republicans and Democrats are nearly undiscernable as opposing parties at this point. They're too busy tripping over one another to spend as much of your money as they possibly can to notice what's going on in the nation at large.

Buddhism and Catholicism

A nice article on the similarities and differences between the two major religions. The methods that Buddhism incorporates to help one find their inner peace and selves have been integral to my own meditative practices. Update: Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-christian religions.

Finding Peace Within

When I was attending school, I had some pretty fun times, sometimes they were a little crazier than I should have allowed, but all in all it was a positive life learning experience on several levels. More recently, I've found myself under an amazing amount of stress, something I've deftly avoided for most of my life. Meditation and prayer have helped me find my inner peace on several occasions, and will continue to do so. I've actually considered starting to write about politics again, maybe just start parodying what I see every day in congress, the executive office, and various governments around the nation and world. At this moment, I don't see a whole lot which warrants endorsing, no movements that invoke passion that haven't already been fought and won or lost (mostly lost, but hey, that's the way life goes). One thing I tell Estee very frequently that there is always a reason to smile. For all of the negative moments of life, the fighting, the anger and hate in the world, all of the reasons to frown, there are so many more to smile. My family, my mom, dad, brothers, sister in law, niece, and nephews. My love, and the life we will spend together. My God. The beauty of nature in and of itself. Sometimes, when I used to walk every day in the neighborhood where I grew up, I would look intensely at the trees, grass, sky, and other various items and parts of my surroundings and take them in, understanding that while such beauty occurs naturally, it's all part of a larger plan. Something beyond my control, other than the lives I can touch personally. Smile. The reasons to do so outnumber and are greater than the reasons not to. Don't get to wrapped up in things you cannot control.

Animal Crossing, Zen Garden

With the advent of Animal Crossing: City Folk, my interest in the AC franchise has been renewed. The atmosphere provided in the game, the music, the colors, the interaction with game elements... all seem to be centered on relaxing. Achieving goals, while taking the broader picture into perspective. If anyone has their Wii connected, hit me up and we can exchange info.

William F. Buckley Quote on the Mass

I'm not sure how this eluded me for so long, but I was cracking up today over it. As a Catholic, I have abandoned hope for the liturgy, which, in the typical American church, is as ugly and as maladroit as if it had been composed by Robert Ingersoll and H.L. Mencken for the purpose of driving people away. Incidentally, the modern liturgists are doing a remarkably good job, attendance at Catholic Mass on Sunday having dropped sharply in the 10 years since a few well-meaning cretins got hold of the power to vernacularize the Mass, and the money to scour the earth in search of the most unmusical men and women to preside over the translation. The next liturgical ceremony conducted primarily for my benefit, since I have no plans to be beatified or remarried, will be my own funeral; and it is a source of great consolation to me that, at my funeral, I shall be quite dead, and will not need to listen to the accepted replacement for the noble old Latin liturgy. Meanwhile, I am practicing Yoga, so that, at church on Sundays, I can develop the power to tune out everything I hear, while attempting, athwart the general calisthenics, to commune with my Maker, and ask Him first to forgive me my own sins, and implore him, second, not to forgive the people who ruined the Mass. Edit: Corrected quote blocking.

I'm getting married!

Yep, it's true, I know most of you are wondering about the mental state of someone deciding to spend the rest of her life with me, but I need some tips and help! My question at the moment is pre-marital counseling. We live pretty far apart, and she will be moving here after the wedding. How, in our limited time together prior to the marriage, can we go through this counseling, and keep it beneficial and productive? Does anyone know of somewhere locally in Cincinnati which could provide such a service, under such circumstances? Thanks for any help you can provide!

The Second Coming

I didn't watch the inauguration of the first black POTUS, nor do I intend to watch this one. Having been raised to be colorblind with respect to achievement, I don't see any special reason to do so. Best wishes to all that continue to fling themselves against the inevitable wave of complete government control that is creeping into our society. It didn't start with Obama, nor will it end with him.

Among other things...

I've asked that the SOB Alliance remove me from their list, since I update this very infrequently anymore, and it's often not politically oriented. Check out those guys though, they're excellent writers, and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it for so long. Who knows, maybe I'll return to political blogging someday. I guess that will happen when there's something worth writing about. This blog will likely be more personal-oriented from this point forward, covering topics on life, sports, gaming, and other things. In other news, I'm engaged. :) Take care all, and without the restrictions of political blogging, I should return soon. Thank you all for being so supportive of me.